Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney's Office
Western District of Tennessee
For Immediate Release
Friday, April 28, 2017
Lawrence J. Laurenzi
Contact: Cherri Green
Man Charged with Fatally Shooting MPD Officer Pleads Guilty to Separate Federal Charges
Memphis, TN – A man charged with fatally shootingMemphis Police Department Officer Sean Bolton has pled guilty to federal charges of armed carjacking and being a convicted felon in possession of ammunition. The defendant, Tremaine Wilbourn, 31, has pending state charges for capital murder. Lawrence J. Laurenzi, Acting U.S. Attorney announced the guilty plea today.
On August 1, 2015, Wilbourn, was in the passenger seat of a vehicle parked on a street in East Memphis when Officer Bolton approached the vehicle. Officer Bolton attempted to detain Wilbourn before the defendant pulled a 9mm pistol and shot Bolton several times.
Facts from the hearing outline that shortly after the shooting, Wilbourn used a firearm to carjack a man of a 2002 Honda Accord.
Wilbourn faces a mandatory 25-years of imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000. There is no parole in the federal system. The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on July 28, 2017, by U.S. District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in conjunction with the Memphis Police Department. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting this case on the government’s behalf.
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